Trap



C. L. PHILLIPS May 31, 1949.

TRAP

Filed Oct. 8, .1946

Patented May 31, 1949 OFFICE TRAP Charles L. Phillips, St. George, N. Y.

1 Claim.

This invention relates to rodent traps.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rodent trap wherein the mice and rats will be killed in a humane and sanitary manner, as by drowning.

It is another object of the invention to provide a trap which is of simple construction wherein riveting, soldering or welding is unnecessary in forming the trap.

It is another object of the invention to provide a rodent trap which needs no setting and which has no wires, springs, trap doors or other devices to get out of order or to shock, alarm or injure one.

It is another object of the invention to provide a trap which will be free of smell of dead rodents which would reduce the attractiveness of the trap to a subsequent rodent.

According to the invention, a large vessel filled with water supports an upper compartment into which the rat or mouse enters for the purpose" of gaining access to food carried upon a turntable three-blade structure. In trying to gain access to the bait on the one blade, he will tend to rotate the blade structure until it has rotated over a hole in the bottom of the compartment through which he will drop into the water contained in the bottom vessel. Means is provided for preventing return rotation of the blade structure so once the blade structure has rotated beyond the entrance opening in the side wall of the compartment, the rat or mouse cannot return for escape through the entrance opening. The blade structure turns only in one direction and is not returnable.

For other objects and a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view with a portion of the cover broken away to show one of the blades of the rotating structure.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view with a portion broken away to show the interior of the vessel containing the water and the compartment where the rodent is received.

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the vertically extending pivot pin.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the center of the blade structure which fits over the pin.

Referring now to the figures, II) represents a vessel adapted to contain a body of water and which is inwardly offset at its top portion II to receive a top compartment I2 formed of an an- Application October 8, 194.6, Serial No. 702,011

nular ring member I3, a partial floor I4 and a cover I5 which is removable.

The floor I4 has an opening I6 for about onethird of its area. The rat or mouse will drop through this opening into the body of water within the vessel Ill. Projecting upwardly through the floor II is a pivot pin I! headed, as indicated on its lower end at I8, and threaded to receive a nut I9 adapted to retain a cupped washer 2I having upstanding saw-tooth edges 22 located 120 apart. Fitted down over the pivot pin I! is a blade structure 23 having three radially extending blades 24 locked together at their inner ends by overlapping portions 25 and the inner ends being so shaped as to provide a central opening 26 adapted to receive the pin I1. The lower edges of the blades cooperate with the saw teeth 22 and prevent the rotation of the blade structure in a reverse direction from which it is intended that the blade structure rotate. After the blade structure has been inserted upon the pin H, the cover I5 can be fitted over the top of the ring member I3 to close the same. It is retained in place by a thumb screw 21 threaded upon the upper end of the pin I1.

The rat or mouse, in order to gain access to the trap, will jump onto a platform 28 that surrounds the vessel II] and will walk thereon until he arrives at steps 29 where he can walk upwardly to gain access to the upper compartment I2 through an opening 3| in the ring member I3. Upon entering the compartment I2, it will be attracted to bait 32 carried in a screen container 33 retained on each of the blades by struckout lip projections 34. On approaching the bait, the rat or mouse will cause the blade structure to be rotated upon the pin l1 and over the saw teeth 22 of the member 2|, so that reverse rotation of the blade structure is prohibited. When suflicient turning movement has been efiected, the rat or mouse will arrive at the opening IS in the fioor I4 and will drop immediately into the water within the vessel I0 and be drowned. Since the bait i confined within the compartment 5, so that access cannot be had to the bait from either side thereof, the same bait will remain in the trap over a long period of time while catching a large number of rats or mice with it.

While various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.

I claim:

An animal trap, comprising a lower casing for holding water and having its top open, an upper casing having a side and bottom with the side projecting downwardly below the bottom to form a flange to be detachably mounted upon the upper open end of the lower casing, the bottom of the upper casing having a large outlet opening formed therein and the side having a small inlet opening, a cap removably mounted upon the upper end of the upper casing, a vertical bolt passingthrpughi the bottom and-j cap of the upper casing, a removable nutdetachablyengaging the bolt and disposed exteriorly of the cap, a rotatable element arranged within the upa per casing and including radial vanes and a hub having an opening for receiving the bolt, the, hub bein removable from the bolt by an upward: vertical movement, a toothed, element mounted. upon the lower portion of the bolt adjacent to REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 4,113 Lee Aug. 30, 1870 832,142 Mathews Oct. 2, 1906 1';059,896 Miller Apr. 22, 1913 1,350,958 Davis; Aug. 24, 1920 1,607,949 Hanuljak Nov. 23, 1926 

